New Releases for May 18 and 19, 2015

May 18, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

Daniel Bachman – River CD/LP (Three Lobed)
“Bachman turns his strings into solemn meditations on existence or emphatic explorations of the same. [He is] a musician poised to explore an old form in ways both reverent and newly inspired.” — Grayson Currin, Hopscotch Festival

Kelsea Ballerini – The First Time CD (Black River Entertainment)
Hailing from Knoxville, TN, singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini moved to Nashville, TN at age 15 to chase the dream of becoming a songwriter. The First Time is her debut album.

Barbarossa – Imager CD/LP+MP3 (Memphis Industries)
Barbarossa, the nom de plume of Londoner James Mathe, follows up his 2013 album Bloodlines with a cerebral, slow-burning album, tinged with melancholy and an alluring humanism. Mathe’s musical journey started with folk-tinged balladry that saw him become part Fence Collective, and subsequently a band member for the likes of Jose Gonzalez, Johnny Flynn and Junip.

Jeff Beck – Live + CD (Rhino)
New live release spanning the legendary guitarist’s vast and varied career along with two new studio tracks.

Bhi Bhiman – Rhythm & Reason CD/LP (Boocoo Music)
Bhi Bhiman’s music has drawn a wide range of comparisons from Rodriguez and Woody Guthrie to Nina Simone and Bill Withers. Bhiman credits his upbringing — the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, growing up in St. Louis, MO — for his diverse sound. An accomplished guitarist and clever lyricist, it is Bhiman’s striking voice that sets him apart.

Peter Broderick – Colours Of The Night CD/LP (Bella Union)
“The product of an unlikely collaboration between an Oregon singer-songwriter and a small group of Swiss musicians, recorded in a studio more usually associated with Alpine hip-hop, Colours Of The Night is a beguiling and yet joyously engaging set that brings the best out in Peter Broderick’s voice and takes him far beyond his established musical milieu. It’s a brave departure for him, a shift away from the studied arrangements of many previous albums towards a greater sense of spontaneity and a (thoroughly justified) trust in his accompanists.” – The Line Of Best Fit

Camp Lo – Ragtime Hightimes CD (Nature Sounds)Ragtime Hightimes finds the legendary Bronx duo and the equally heralded beat smith utilizing live instrumentation in order to build what they like to call “time-traveling art.”

Mariah Carey – #1 To Infinity CD (Sony Legacy)
A career-spanning collection including all 18 of Mariah’s Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, including a the new track, “Infinity.” Vinyl version due August 28.

Nick Cave And Warren Ellis – Present: Loin Des Hommes [OST] CD/LP (Goliath Entertainment)
Original score to David Olehoffen’s prize-winning motion picture composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Loin Des Hommes (Far From Men) is a French film adaptation of Albert Camus’ short story The Guest. Using intertwining piano and violin melodies, soft drones and subtle electronics, Cave and Ellis paint a minimal and mesmerizing backdrop to the ghostly frontier towns and empty desert vistas pictured in Olehoffen’s movie, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb in a tale of colonial conflict in Algeria.

Ceremony – The L-Shaped Man CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
Ceremony’s fifth studio album uses singer Ross Farrar’s recent breakup as a platform to explore loneliness and emotional weariness, but it is by no means a purely sad album. Rather than look inward, Farrar uses his experience to write about what it means to go through something heavy and come out the other side a different person. In order to tell Farrar’s story, Ceremony have almost completely stripped back the propulsive hardcore of their previous records, turning every angry outburst into simmering despair. (Limited copies pressed on seafoam vinyl.)

Cheerleader – The Sunshine Of Your Youth CD/LP+MP3 (Bright Antenna)The Sunshine of Your Youth is the debut from Philly-based Cheerleader. Nylon called them “the love child of Passion Pit and St. Lucia.” NME listed the band in their Top 10 new bands of 2014, saying “[Cheerleader] recall New Order at their most addictive,” while KCRW said Cheerleader’s music is “giddy, triumphant world-conquering optimism. This is straight up power pop.”

Circuit des Yeux – In Plain Speech CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Haley Fohr’s music strikes a unique balance between the personal and universal. As Circuit des Yeux she creates music that embodies the complexity of human emotions, juxtaposing tenderness and grief, ecstasy and horror, using sounds as representations of the emotional spectrum that we all experience. Fohr’s striking voice, an impassioned baritone, is the music’s centerpiece and guiding force. On In Plain Speech, Fohr is joined by some of the most progressive musicians in the Chicago music community; Cooper Crain (Cave, Bitchin Bajas), Whitney Johnson (Verma), Rob Frye (Bitchin Bajas), Adam Luksetich (Little Scream), and Kathleen Baird (Spires That In The Sunset Rise). Fohr cements her reputation as a fearless songwriter and inventive arranger with this stirring collection of songs that are both gorgeous and emotionally potent.

Coal Chamber – Rivals CD/CD+DVD/LP+DVD+MP3 (Napalm)
Fourth album from the nu-metal band – their first after a 13-year hiatus. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus ‘making of the album’ DVD.

Flavio Coelho – Mundo Meu CD (Mr. Bongo)Mundo Meu is Flavia Coelho’s 2015 recording that sees her going back to her roots plunging into an urban jungle with colored native slang. Unfolding her inner world like an immense, multi-colored urban map, her flow resonates to an urban Baile Funk; Repente becomes Afrobeat; Forro and Samba find a new life fuelled with hip-hop; African roots join Kanak chants; Bolero joins Ragga while East European music becomes tropical via Jamaica.

Chris Connolly – Alameda CD (Caldo Verde)
Chris is part of the collaborative band Deserthore with guitarist Phil Carney and vocalist Mark Kozelek. He has also recorded and toured with Sun Kil Moon. Alameda is his second solo piano album.

Death Alley – Black Magick Boogieland CD/LP (Tee Pee)
Amsterdam’s punked-out, proto-metal outlaws Death Alley play rip roarin’ heavy psychedelic music that delivers a kick ass new take on old school rock ‘n’ roll, mashing Motörhead and Black Sabbath to create a blistering, raw sound.

Diamond Youth – Nothing Matters CD (Topshelf)
Despite the varying musical tastes of each member in Diamond Youth, they all share a very common back catalog of bands that have inspired and defined their developing years as budding artists. From Weezer to Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age to Jimmy Eat World, and all the way back to the Beach Boys, the influence these bands has had on Diamond Youth is ever-apparent in the music they write. The group builds on their ‘90s alt-rock influenced sound with Nothing Matters, recorded at Hurley studios headquarters in Costa Mesa, California with producer Dave Warsop (Beat Union, Suedehead). Vinyl version due May 26.

Dirty Fences – Tramp CD/LP/Cassette (Slovenly)
Satisfying a youthful obsession with early Kiss and Mötley Crüe, then discovering the fortunate truth of the Dictators & Ramones, Tramp is the festering manifestation of your love encrusted bed sheets headed to the wash.

Dommengang – Everybody’s Boogie CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Dommengang’s music is expansive and driving. The band s songs are propelled by a killer rhythm section and fronted by Sig Wilson, a mainstay of the Pacific Northwest psych scene. He is joined by Brian Markham and Adam Bulgasem, themselves life-long musicians and connected to the DIY scenes on the West and East coasts. While the trio’s affection for electric blues and proto-punk bombast is clear, their music abandons traditional song structures and replaces their recognizable tropes with progressive frameworks.

Du Blonde – Welcome Back To Milk CD (Mute)
Du Blonde is the artistic reincarnation of the artist, Beth Jeans Houghton, and Welcome Back To Milk is the first album to be released as Du Blonde. Whilst her 2012 album Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose was a standalone piece of polymath pop, 25-year-old Houghton, has constantly evolved and reinvented herself – a musical and aesthetic chameleon always playing by her own rules. Much of the forthcoming album, including the first single, “Black Flag” was produced by Bad Seed and Grinderman member Jim Sclavunos, whose previous production credits include The Jim Jones Revue and The Horrors. Vinyl version due May 26.

Earth Crisis – The Discipline CDEP (Bullet Tooth)
Two newly recorded songs from their debut album Destroy The Machines, and two unreleased demos from the ‘90s.

EchoLake – Echo Lake CD/LP (Era)
Points recall the textures and expansive ambition of Spaceman 3, Neu! and Deerhunter yet the album is never stylistically referential to any particular period or style.

Mathias Eick – Midwest CD (ECM)
Mathias Eick reflects on distances travelled in this intensely melodic set of original compositions, which makes an imaginative journey from Hem, the tiny Norwegian village where the trumpeter grew up, to the vast plains of Dakota in the American Midwest. Vinyl version due June 2.

Ekoplekz – Reflkzionz CD/LP+MP3 (Planet Mu)
Whilst the murky four-track cassette sound and dirty analogue textures are still very much in place, keen ears might spot a subtle change in emphasis. There are less of the radiophonic sci-fi sounds, ancient drum machines and none of the post-punk bass or guitar. Instead, Ekoplekz mainly focuses on invoking a blurry, saturated false-memory of the leftfield electronica that was the soundtrack to his life in the early to mid-1990s.

Emery – You Were Never Alone CD/LP (BadChristian Music)
New album by the Christian rockers.

Entrails – Obliteration CD (Metal Blade)
“When all is lost, as everything and everyone are about to be destroyed, the reek of apocalypse, there will be no future. Inner beliefs might turn vulgar, endless bloodshed, the collapse of everything that one holds dear, the true meaning of senseless obliteration. The fumes of uncontainable conflict spat out of the new album of the recently resurrected Swedish Death Metal band Entrails. As if the early ‘90s never truly faded away, their musical infestation remained true to the days of the great awakening of the genre” – Metal Temple. Vinyl version due May 26.

Eschaton – Sentinel Apocalypse CD (Unique Leader)
Eschaton was founded when extreme metal enthusiasts, guitarists Joshua and Jared Berry, and vocalist Jason Viteri began writing in 2007 near Providence, Rhode Island. Their chemistry and dedication forged a uniquely aggressive stand-alone sound that would become the essence of the band in the years to come. Vinyl version due June 2.

Faith No More – Sol Invictus CD (Ipecac)Sol Invictus is Faith No More’s seventh album, and first since 1997’s Album Of The Year. Vinyl version due July 7. “Considering this album had little odds of coming about years ago, it’s insufficient to say “Sol Invictus” is worth the wait. It’s a brand new beginning with a brand new vibe that’s still Faith No More in soul. It’s not King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime, but Sol Invictus is that damned good on its own merits. In some ways, it’s the most mind-blowing performance under the moniker. As the closing number asserts, Faith No More is back from the dead, thank God.” – Blabbermouth

Fink – Horizontalism CD (R’coup’d)
Following the success of last year’s Hard Believer album-which saw the trio known as Fink melding Fin Greenall’s ruggedly lush vocals with a slow-burning and steady-thumping array of string lucking (Guy Whittaker) and cymbal smashing (Tim Thornton) — they ring in 2015 with Horizontalism. Inspired by Greenall’s new home in Berlin and his resurgent interest in electronic production, his series of mixes may stand in stark contrast of the bands musical output of the past years but the listener finds themselves ay the same intersection of impassioned storytelling, manifest emotion and darkly beautiful ambience. Vinyl version June 2.

Brandon Flowers – The Desired Effect CD (Island)
New solo album by The Killer’s frontman. Vinyl version due June 23. “Ex-cons, lost angels, stalkers, the struggling, the lonely and the damned. If Brandon Flowers’ 2010 solo debut Flamingo celebrated home, faith and the romance of the Mojave Desert, his second, The Desired Effect, takes a grittier view on Fabulous Las Vegas. On ‘Diggin’ Up The Heart’, a housebreaker returns from the state pen tormented by dreams of damnation and unable to change his criminal ways. ‘Lonely Town’ sees a jilted loner break into his ex’s house, knife in hand and reason running red. A hooker from a broken home – “born lost and dirt blonde” – sneers at the kerb-crawling traffic during ‘Never Get You Right’. Throw in a terminal illness and some hard drugs and HBO would be biting Brandon’s hand off to make it into a mini-series.” – NME

Jamie Foxx – Hollywood: A Story Of A Dozen Roses CD (RCA)Hollywood: A Story Of A Dozen Roses is the performer’s first album in five years. The album includes musical appearances from Chris Brown, Fabolous, Kid Ink, Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Popcaan, Wale and Young Thug. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.

Fyfe – Control CD/LP (Believe)
A collection of brooding, expertly crafted alternative pop songs, from an artist and producer who has already earned fans as diverse as London Grammar to Childish Gambino.

Gangstagrass – American Music CD (Rench Audio)
Featuring 14 cuts of genuine bluegrass/hip-hop, including a remake of the Emmy-nominated theme song to “Justified.”

Laurent Garnier – La Home Box CD (PIAS America)
Compiles tracks from his five thrillingly varied 2014 EPs, a previously unheard 12″ and a shedload of brand new remixes from the likes of Marc Romboy, Traumer and Husbands. Musically, La Home Box is rather typical of the French legend, including as it does blistering techno, throbbing house, quirky electronica and bumpin’ instrumental hip-hop.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad – Bright Days CD (Easy Star)Bright Days features this unique band further establishing them as the only reggae band that can moonlight sounding like American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, The Band, and early Neil Young. The record features a harmonica guest spot from G. Love (a fan of the band) on “Humboldt County Gold.”

God Damn – Vultures CD/LP (One Little Indian)
Dropped like a pipe bomb into the British rock scene, Wolverhampton band God Damn have spent the last three years nailing audiences to the walls with their sonic blasts of glorious noise. Yet their debut album Vultures offers more than just machismo, bombast and bluster. There is nuance and melody. Purpose and meaning. Heartfelt intent.

Göetia – Mystifier CD (Greyhaze)
Evil old school black metal from Brazil. Vinyl version due June 2.

The Grahams – Glory Bound CD (Cen)The Grahams – Glory Bound/Rattle The Hocks 2xLP (Cen)
Country music has a long history of male-female duets, and there have been some great ones. The Grahams are adding to that tradition with the new album Glory Bound. The title track opens the album and it’s hard not to think of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash when you listen to this song about regretting youthful mistakes.” — AXS

The Grip Weeds – How I Won The War CD/LP (Jem)
“This New Jersey band has been around since the ’90s; they eventually built their own recording studio which has been used by many other bands as well. Maybe that’s why this sounds so good. Very Beatles and Byrds, with exceptional drumming.” Little Steven: “We like to mix it up in Jersey and The Grip Weeds are a great example. A touch of John Lennon, a bit of The Byrds, a dash of The Kinks, pinch of The Who, and a dollop of more muscular Zombies and you get something quite original actually. And quite cool.”

The Helio Sequence – The Helio Sequence CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
The self-titled sixth album by The Helio Sequence began with a friendly competition. Several of the duo’s friends within the Portland, Oregon music scene had been playing “The 20-Song Game.” The rules were simple, playful and ambitious: Songwriters would arrive in their studios at prearranged times and spend all day recording 20 complete songs. When they were finished, they’d have a party, listen to the results and talk about the process — of taking the good with the bad, of letting creativity push past constraint, of simply making music in the moment. Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel took the spirit of the “The 20-Song Game” to heart, and forged ahead writing a new record. In May of 2014, inspired by the “20-Song Game”, they began arriving each morning in their Portland space — housed in the cafeteria and break room of an old warehouse — with the mission of making as much music as possible in one month.

Holly Herndon – Platform CD/LP+MP3 (4AD)
Holly Herndon has become a leading light in contemporary alternative and electronic music by fearlessly experimenting within the outer reaches of dance music and pop songwriting structures. Born in Tennessee, but reared on music abroad, Herndon broke out from her formative years in Berlin’s minimal techno scene to repatriate to San Francisco, where she currently lives and studies as a doctoral candidate at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research In Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).

Jojo Hiroshige – Jojo CD (Ultech)
Music created out of spaces where noise and flesh of more than one performer can collide.

Hot Chip – Why Make Sense? CD/LP+MP3 (Domino)
With Why Make Sense? Hot Chip restate their intentions as a band and redefine the very things that made them relevant in the first place. It shuns modernist dancefloor tropes in order to flick through the dusty corners of the band’s teenage record collections. Alternately jarring and chaotic, pared back, thundering, then pulsating and gloriously mellifluous, the album confidently displays its influences. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds the four-track Separate EP.

Joanna Gruesome – Peanut Butter CD (Slumberland)
Rival groups will be disappointed to learn that the record is a further experiment in combining hyper melodic pop music with sonic violence. Officials have confirmed that the album contains a record number of hooks, traces of nut and elements of jangle pop, British hardcore punk, atonal music, screaming and drone organs. Vinyl version due July 10.

Kerrier District – 4 CD (Hypercolour)
Cornish acid dance pioneer, Luke Vibert, dusts off the old rags and revives his cherished moniker for a new album. Vinyl version due June 2.

Kopecky – Drug For The Modern Age CD/LP (ATO)
The Nashville based six-piece formerly known as the Kopecky Family Band makes a striking return with a succinct new name — now simply Kopecky — and a triumphant sophomore album. Drug For The Modern Age, the follow-up to their 2012 debut album Kids Raising Kids features production by Konrad Snyder (whose credits include working with Milo Greene and Night Beds). “The band certainly has our attention with their single, ‘Quarterback,’ a melodic three-minute blast with piercing guitar riffs and an adrenaline-pumped chorus. The compelling mix of bombastic Sleigh Bells-y drums and relaxed harmonies complements the song’s story, about an underdog who strives to get the girl.” – Spin

Legiac – The Faex Has Decimated CD (Tympanik Audio)
After a long hiatus from their debut Mings Feaner, Legiac returns with Roel Funcken (Funckarma, Quench) and Cor Bolten (Dif:use) helming their sophomore album The Faex Has Decimated. A synth guru with a massive collection of modular gear, Cor Bolten is a devoted knob-twister, creating patches, press chords, and continually building onto his massive library of samples, sounds, and tracks to integrate into his music projects.

John Lodge – 10,000 Light Years Ago CD/LP (Esoteric Antenna)
New album from the Moody Blues member. 10,000Light Years Ago is John’s second solo album — his first, Natural Avenue, was released in 1977. Recorded at various locations and completed at The Mix Factory studios in Florida, the album features guest contributions from former Moody Blues members Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder and legendary guitarist Chris Spedding among others.

Christian Lopez Band – Onward CD (Blaster)Onward, the debut full-length release from the West Virginia based Christian Lopez Band, was produced by Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), and features ten original songs written by the band’s 19 year-old namesake, which tackle themes of love, perseverance, coming of age and an appreciation for where you are in life. Lopez hails from the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, where he was influenced by the Appalachian bluegrass tradition, jam bands (thanks to a nearby college) as well his father’s deep record collection. The lone cover on the album is a spirited version of the public domain Gospel song “Oh Those Tombs” that was later popularized by Hank Williams.

Majutsu No Niwa – The Night Before CD+DVD (Petaphysique)
The sixth album of psychedelic tunes and silent improvisation by the former leader of Overhang Party and crew issues a warning about the perishing of modern civilization. With a NY-flavored homage to Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell’s “Memories Of Fire,” and a cover of “Search & Destroy.”

Manyfingers – The Spectacular Nowhere CD/2xLP (Ici D’ailleurs)
The depth and scope of the album reveals an eclectic style — incorporating neo classical composition, experimental, avant-garde, moments of pop dynamism and filmic score. There are nods to Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Moondog, where “Ode to Louis Hardin” becomes a love letter to the late, great 6th Avenue Viking, and more pop based references echoing Hood and Portishead. The Spectacular Nowhere invites the listener into a world of aural intrigues – some bittersweet, some melancholic and others full of joy and wonder.

The Milk Carton Kids – Monterey CD/LP+MP3 (Anti/Epitaph)
With their third album Monterey, The Milk Carton Kids have evolved their signature sound into its purest essence. Writing on the road, sitting around after shows in green rooms and hallways, these duo found themselves finishing and editing each other s songs, resulting in a batch of songs where, for the first time in the band s career, friends and family cannot tell who wrote what. And for all the attention the duo received for combining into one voice, on Monterey we finally hear the singers as distinct; the acclaimed harmonies move farther apart so that the quirks and kinks of two individual identities emerge, the harmonies all the while remaining lush and soaring, their beauty all the more apparent for the showing of their scars.

Holly Miranda – Holly Miranda CD/LP (Dangerbird)
“Usher in the era of women who aren’t afraid to ask to be f**ked. ‘We could f**k in the sun and dance till dawn,’ Holly Miranda sings in a matter-of-fact, filtered vocal on ‘All I Want Is To Be Your Girl,’ stripped of all the qualms and metaphors that usually render most pop song propositions toothless. Given that kind of kick off, the song hums with fierce self-knowledge, the kind that empowers you to love someone without any reservations. It’s less Zapp & Roger and more Jet, although the demands Miranda makes are more brazen than both. ‘All I Want Is To Be Your Girl’ is also a fascinating balance of country determination and lusty pop, and if this is what Miranda found when she holed up in Joshua Tree to write her self-titled third album, then I can’t wait to hear what else she’s going to suggest on the record.” – Stereogum

Thelonious Monk – The Complete Riverside Recordings [Reissue/1986] 15xCD (Fantasy)
Originally released in 1986, this Grammy-winning, 15-disc box set has been reissued in sleek and compact new brick packaging, presenting the entire output which Monk recorded for Riverside between 1955 and 1961. A comprehensive booklet completes the set, offering rare photographs, discography information, and insightful commentary by Orrin Keepnews, producer of the original recordings, who also researched and assembled this compilation.

Mr. Irish Bastard – Word, Flesh & The Devil CD/LP (Redoo)
New release from the folk punksters – a further testament to Mr. Irish Bastard’s reputation as one of the best folk-punk bands around.

Georgia Anne Muldrow – A Thoughtiverse Unmarred CD/LP (Mello Music)
Georgia Anne Muldrow is a seeker and truth-teller. The words on her first rap album — produced entirely by Chris Keys — balance a beautiful delivery with brutal honesty. These are the honest confessions of a mother who refuses to turn a blind eye to immediate and ancestral misdeeds. Her rhymes are conscious, but more importantly, they speak to our deeper conscience. The prophetic soul artist offers a singular voice, you can hear the echoes of past oracles: Billie Holiday, Alice Coltrane, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill.

Multicolor – From The Outside CD (Tympanik Audio)
New release from the Russian producer. Eight tracks full of warm bass, crafty time signatures, bright melodies, and infectious beats. Accessible and inviting, From The Outside maintains a consistent flow throughout, embracing the listener with a cohesive blend of contrasting atmospheres and engaging beatwork. Nimble and balmy intelligent dance music.

Murs – Have A Nice A Life CD (Strange Music)
New album from the rapper. “Murs has put in nearly two decades of work, worked with countless high-profile groups and individuals over the years and established himself as an underground legend. Regardless, his signing to indie powerhouse Strange Music ushers in a new era for the West Coast mainstay, leading to a tremendous amount of well-deserved hype for his label debut Have A Nice Life.” – KJ Booth

The Names – Stranger Than You CD/LP (Factory Benelux)
The fourth studio album by acclaimed Belgian cold wave group The Names, known for their early association with Factory Records and producer Martin ‘Zero’ Hannett. The Names emerged in the winter of 1977-1978 as The Passengers, gathering immediate attention on the local Brussels scene. In 1979, after a series of successful gigs and a crucial step forward opening for Magazine, they recorded their first EP and attracted the interest of prominent label Factory Records in Manchester. Though they have not been prolific over the years, their reputation has grown over the decades and they’ve inspired loads of post-post-punk bands who have formed in their wake.

Willie Nelson – Country Legend 3xCD (AAO Music)
Triple-disc collection housed in an embossed metal tin. This Willie Nelson collection focuses on the singer’s pre-Columbia chart entries from the early ’70s as recorded for RCA and Atlantic. The 45-track sampling includes “Healing Hands Of Time,” “Shelter Of My Arms,” “Slow Down Old World,” “Half A Man,” “Night Life,” and many other classics.

Jim O’Rourke – Simple Songs CD/LP (Drag City)
Full of the vast, glossy and glittering O’Rourkian wall of sound he’s known for, Simple Songs seeps into your brain, as a musical expression and a statement of animal motherhood. It may help you get your bearings in a world gone hopeless. Most of all though, don’t hate this or he’ll go away again for another decade.

Graham Parker And The Rumour – Mystery Glue CD (UMe)
Graham Parker And The Rumour, one of the UK’s pioneering pre-punk bands, returns with a new album, Mystery Glue. Written in Parker’s second home of New York and recorded in just six days in the legendary RAK studios in London, Mystery Glue is a real return to form for this seminal British songwriter and powerhouse band, which features its original lineup of Parker, Bob Andrews, Brinsley Schwarz, Martin Belmont, Andrew Bodnar and Stephen Goulding. Vinyl version due May 26.

Pneu – Destination Qualité CD/LP (Head)
Destination Qualité: the third album of the instrumental duet (guitar/drums) from Tours (France) is comprised of nine tracks of rock, noise, experimental music with punk feeling.

Shilpa Ray – Last Year’s Savage CD/LP (Northern Spy)
Shilpa Ray is, through no fault of her own, one of our unsung great artists. Having made her bones with the gothic Sturm und Drang of Beat The Devil and moving forward to the blues erosion of Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers, Ray has been, armed only with an incomparable voice and harmonium haunted by the ghosts of dead lovers, perpetually crying in the wind, hoisting both middle fingers in the general direction of god. It’s not a life a wise man would choose. Shilpa Ray kicks against the pricks but the pricks keep coming.

Regal Degal – Not Now CD/LP (Terrible Records)Not Now is a culmination of the myriad experiences that have shaped the Regal sound — a stint in Los Angeles where the band released their debut full-length Veritable Who’s Who on No Age’s PPM Records, a recent relocation to NYC and countless shows with the likes of Black Dice, Chk Chk Chk, The Clean, Panda Bear, DIIV, Real Estate and Grizzly Bear — the latter of which turned out to be most fruitful for the band.

Corrina Repp – Pattern Of Electricity CD (Caldo Verde)
Corrina Repp is a singer/multi-instrumentalist based in Portland, Oregon. In the early 2000s she recorded three albums before drawing the attention of Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon), who decided to release her fourth album – The Absent And The Distant – on his label (Repp was the first artist apart from Kozelek’s projects to appear on Caldo Verde). Pattern Of Electricity was recorded with help from Peter Broderick, and is her first album in almost ten years.

Rwake – Xenoglossalgia: The Last Stage Of Awareness [Reissue/1998] CD/LP (Relapse)
The Arkansas doom masters re-release their first demo.

Saun & Starr – Look Closer CD/LP+MP3 (Daptone)
Some of you may recognize Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan Lowe from their days singing backup for Sharon Jones. Saun & Starr now share their own brand of vintage soul with their debut album, titled Look Closer. Like a two-headed Phoenix rising from the ashes of a bygone era when the duets of Sam & Dave, James & Bobby Purify, and Marvin & Tammi danced upon the airwaves, Saun & Starr have redefined the possibilities of what a great Soul duo can be. Though they each posess a tone and style that commands attention, together their voices compliment each other perfectly, lifting their sound to elevations neither could reach alone –– harmonies and phrases playfully intertwining to form the architecture for a soulful fortress of vocal prowess.

Schammasch – Sic Lvceat Lvx CD (Prosthetic)
Formed in 2009, the Swiss group Sschammasch combines a forward approach to modern black metal, articulating their extreme roots with doom-laden atmospherics dredged with Hermetic mysticism. Vinyl version due June 2.

Secrets Of The Sky – Pathway CD (Metal Blade)
Secrets Of The Sky’s expansive, powerhouse style of fusing progressive elements into their crushing doom metal foundation, fashioned by three of the band’s five members each contributing with multiple instruments, layering synth/keys, violins and an array of vocal styles atop the crushing rhythm sections and massive triple guitar attack. Vinyl version due May 26.

Shamir – Ratchet CD/LP (XL)
Shamir is Shamir Bailey, a 20-year-old Las Vegas native who grew up not on the strip but in the desert. His verve for life makes him almost impossible to categorize. As a young musician, he moves in and out of soul, R&B, house, disco, rap, and pop – in the tradition of artists like Prince, Grace Jones, David Bowie, and Madonna. Genre is a tool for Shamir, not a boundary. Or as Shamir would put it, “It doesn’t matter what you sound like – you just have to be you.”

Silverstein – I Am Alive In Everything I Touch CD/LP+CD (Rise)
Silverstein’s new album showcases the band’s signature mixture of emotional screams and soaring melodies.

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds – Weather Below CD/LP (Party Fowl)
The Catskill Mountains hid one of rock ‘n’ roll’s best kept secret for almost 18 years. Then in 2008, singer and songwriter Arleigh Kincheloe said goodbye to her hometown hideaway and moved to New York City to start Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. In the years since, the group has performed more than 600 shows, released two full-length albums and an EP produced by Randy Jackson (American Idol), and enchanted tastemakers ranging from The Wall Street Journal and L.A. Times to Glamour, USA Today, and The New Yorker.

Soundtrack – Orphan Black [OST] CD (Varese Sarabande)
The soundtrack features key pop songs that helped create the sound of the show including cuts by Matthew Dear, Foxygen, Tears For Fears, The Troggs and others. The album also includes the Orphan Black Theme by Two Fingers (alter-ego of electronic musician Amon Tobin).

The Story So Far – The Story So Far CD (Pure Noise)
New album from the pop/punk band. Vinyl version due June 10.

Sun Ra – Planets of Life Or Death: Amiens 73 CD (Strut)
Reissued on vinyl for RSD 2015 – now available on CD. Never-heard music from the legendary Sun Ra Arkesta – and a set that’s every bit as great as Ra’s self-released albums on Saturn Records in the ‘70s. The performance is a well-recorded date from France in the early ‘70s – and the Arkestra are at their richest, most expressive – often working with a strong spiritual vein that really sets this period apart from other periods of their work.

Talk In Tongues – Alone With A Friend CD/LP (Fairfax Recordings)Alone With A Friend is the debut album from L.A.-based modern psychedelic shoegaze outfit Talk In Tongues. The record demonstrates the band’s handle on a wide swath of sounds and textures, and reflects on their influences which range from Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd to early Creation bands like Ride and The Jesus & Mary Chain.

Tanlines – Highlights CD/LP (True Panther Sounds)
Influenced by the band’s time on the road touring for their critically lauded debut, Mixed Emotions, Tanlines have reached for the sounds of the ‘90s New York hip-hop drums, Detroit techno synths, and lots of guitars.

Tau Cross – Tau Cross CD/LP (Relapse)
Tau Cross is a punk/metal supergroup of the highest order. Fronted by Rob “The Baron” Miller, vocalist and bassist of the UK metallic-punk band Amebix, and rounded out by a band that features Away from Voivod on drums as well as members of cult crust outfit Mistery, Tau Cross is the natural evolution of Miller’s work in Amebix. Tribal rhythms, searing guitars and Miller’s huge booming voice all set to an apocalyptic atmosphere to create an instant classic that will satisfy the crustiest punks and the blackest metallers.

Them Are Us Too – Remain CD/LP (Dais)
Emerging quietly from the California Bay Area through their limited edition demos and intimate performances over the last two years, Them Are Us Too have gained a cult following within independent music circles as a young, new take on the revered “4AD sound” of dreamy goth-pop anthems. With a nod to ‘80s shoegaze sensibilities, Them Are Us Too creates songs about tragedy and loves-lost that draws devoted listeners to their nostalgic and innocent sound.

Total Babes – Total Babes CD/LP+MP3 (Wichita)
Total Babes was formed in 2010 in Medina, Ohio, by Jayson Gerycz of Cloud Nothings and his friend Christopher Brown, as an outlet for pop songs that could not be played in their noise-rock band Swindlella. Their debut album, Swimming Through Sunlight, was released in 2011. Now signed to Wichita Recordings, their sophomore album, Heydays, features lush synthesizers from Emeralds/Outer Space member and Spectrum Spools head John Elliott.

Andrea Triana – Giants CD/LP+MP3 (Counter)
New album from the soulful London singer/songwriter. Giants is an elegant melting pot of styles, sounds and themes effortlessly brought together by a voice both distinct and timeless in equal measure.

T-Tops – T-Tops CD/LP (Big Neck)
T-Tops play loud, dirty, riff-filled rock music. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, the band was formed in 2012 and includes former members of The Fitt and Don Caballero.

Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface CD (Fueled By Ramen)
Fourth album of piano-driven schizoid pop from the duo.

Vaadat Charigim – Sinking As A Stone CD (Burger)
Second album from Israeli shoegaze/dream-pop trio. Vinyl version due July 10.

Valkyrie – Shadows CD/LP (Relapse)
Jam packed with harmonized leads, rich solos and melodic, blues based riffs, Valkyrie sound like the perfect blend of Thin Lizzy and Saint Vitus. Where Pete Adams’ other band Baroness focuses more on the proggy and poppy side of metal, Valkyrie is all about southern fried and whiskey soaked hard rockin’ guitar jams.

Various Artists – 20 Years Of Henry Street 5xCD/3xLP+MP3 (BBE)
Incredible as it seems, this year marks twenty years since the launch of Johnny D’Mairo’s Henry Street Music label. This is one of the most extensive grand summations yet done of a dance label. Henry Street Music exemplified its era as much as Trax and Nu-Groove had theirs. Come the mid-’90s, the disco cut-up became ubiquitous, as thousands tried to emulate the success of Henry Street’s first big killer, The Bucketheads’ Tha Bomb –still a dancefloor staple two decades on. Many of the movers and shakers of the day had their best moments on Henry Street, and they’re all here: Johnnick, Armand Van Helden, DJ Duke, DJ Sneak, Dirty Harry, Davidson Ospina, Todd Terry, Mateo and Matos, Brutal Bill, Josh Wink, even the UK’s own Ashley Beedle, and many more – a veritable roll-call of the premiere-league of dance at the time, an era when dance music still seemed incredibly fertile and the link with its own past was still vital.

Various Artists – Linear Labs: Los Angeles CD/LP (Linear Labs)
In less than a year’s time Adrian Younge’s Linear Labs imprint has made a very firm impression on fans of forward-thinking analog-based music from multiple genres. One notable fan, among many, is DJ Premier, who produced his late 2014 Rhyme album exclusively using samples drawn from Younge’s catalog. To give fans a chance to revel in Younge’s range and — just as importantly — give followers a sneak peek at four impressive 2015 albums already slated for release, Younge is proud to release the complication, Los Angeles.

Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear – Skeleton Crew CD/LP (Glassnote)
At home, Madisen and Ruth Ward are family members. Onstage, they’re the leading members of Madisen Ward & The Mama Bear, a soulful folk band whose sound is anchored by twin guitars and two big, booming voices. The music started in Kansas City, where Madisen grew up watching his mom perform cover songs at local coffee shops. Before long, he was writing his own tunes, mixing the old-world influence of his family’s folk records with the unchained, energetic stomp of modern-day rock & roll. The two began playing entire shows together, ditching the cover songs in favor of Madisen’s original material. Both sang, both played guitar, and both watched as their band’s audience slowly grew.

Johanna Warren – nūmūn CD/LP+MP3 (Team Love)
Johanna Warren is a songwriter based Portland, Oregon. Although Warren has lent her vocal talents to artists like Natalie Merchant and Iron & Wine, she identifies primarily as a songwriter. An intuitively self-taught guitarist, she channels powerful songs in weird time signatures and melancholic open tunings, weaving adept finger-picking with acrobatic vocal lines and carefully crafted poetry, in reverence of her patron songwriting saints Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake.

We Are Hex – Bleach Brigade CD (War Crime)
Bastard children of The Birthday Party, We Are Hex is the fire of the televangelist on a night of infomercials, the last union pup on the strip, and skid rubbed raw by a pleasant sin. “We Are Hex sound like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, except if they were more into the Jesus Lizard, Pop Group and Suicide than John Hughes movie soundtracks.” — Detour

Weedeater – Goliathan CD/LP (Season Of Mist)
“Guys, the sticky is not the only thing on Weedeater’s mind. Truth is, these Southern sludge rabble-rousers have been through some hard times — health scares, a lost member — but that doesn’t shake up their fifth album, Goliathan. At 1:47, ‘Bully’ isn’t technically Weedeater’s shortest song (if you count intros and interludes), but is a squirrely sludge-punk bruiser with bassist Dixie Dave cackling like a supervillain. With that in mind, the band writes with a grin, ‘It’s just a public service announcement against bullying in public schools … Just kidding. Kids, keep beating on each other. Hooray for natural selection!’” — NPR

Paul Weller – Saturn’s Pattern CD/CD+DVD/LP+MP3 (WB/Parlophone)
“Paul Weller’s twelfth studio effort sees the Modfather come out fighting with a strong nine-track album that dabbles in bluesy guitar and space-age synth, which overall sees Weller writing, producing and confidently delivering some catchy, feel-good songs. Settling on a space theme, Saturn’s Pattern starts strong with a belter of a number in ‘White Sky’. This fully fledged blues rock number, puts Weller’s vocals to good use, adding a cosmic edge to the wailing electric guitar which is slightly akin to Black Keys tracks such as ‘I Got Mine’. ‘Pick It Up’ is one of the stronger tracks from ‘Saturn’s Pattern’. Blending a nice steady rhythm with electric piano and guitar added to layers of Weller’s vocals. Along with ‘Pick It Up’, ‘In The Car’ is also an intriguing addition to the album, an extraterrestrial mix of blues guitar, piano and distorted vocals.” – DIY

Bill Wells And Aidan Moffat – The Most Important Place In The World CD/LP (Chemikal Underground)
Bill & Aidan return with their long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award winner, Everything’s Getting Older. Moving on from the preoccupations of the duo’s debut long-player, The Most Important Place in the World supplants the encroachment of age as a primary theme with the notion of the metropolis as femme fatale, a voluptuous siren promising opportunity and possibility: “Her doors are open, her legs are spread,” in the words of the opening song, “On The Motorway.” The tension between domesticity and devilry, temperance and temptation, is a seam that runs through the record. As with its predecessor, The Most Important Place In The World finds Moffat variously speaking, snarling and singing his candid tales along to jazz-inflected melodies so exquisite they barely belong to the gauche reality of the 21st century.

Whitesnake – The Purple Album CD/CD+DVD (Frontiers)The Purple Album features revved-up versions of songs from Coverdale’s tenure in Deep Purple some 40 years ago, from 1973 to 1976. Vinyl version due June 30.

Savina Yannatou and Primavera en Salonico – Songs From Thessaloniki CD (ECM)
Savina Yannatou’s fourth ECM album is a dazzling evocation of her band’s hometown, plunging deep into its rich and complex history. Once known colloquially as the Jerusalem of the Balkans, Thessaloniki has been home to a host of cultures, religions and ethnic communities. Greeks, Jews, Turks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Armenians, Slav-Macedonians and Pontiac Greeks have shared the city’s diverse life. Yannatou gives all of them a voice, even casting an Irish song about Salonika into this multi-lingual program in which she shines as a unique interpreter and spokeswoman for the city’s ghosts.

Zebrahead – Call Your Friends CD (Rude)
Formed in the midst of the Orange County punk explosion, the La Habra, CA-based punk inspired rock outfit Zebrahead release a new album.

Ilyas Ahmed – I Am All Your Own LP/Cassette (Immune)
Ilyas Ahmedʼs songs exist in a sublime moment of suspended animation, calmly dwelling in between modes of music making, both timeless and contemporary – deeply imbued with stillness and peace. On I Am All Your Own, his first album in three years, Ahmed employs strategies gleaned from experimental and ambient musicians, such as Lawrence English and Fripp & Eno, and applies them to song-based guitar music. Building slowly and purposefully, each individual track adds to the album’s overall, scrupulously forged contour. His most direct work, Ahmed’s voice is brought to the fore and un-obscured.

The Allman Brothers Band – Hollywood Bowl 1972 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
When the Allman Brothers Band initially began soldiering on as a quintet in 1972, following the death of Duane, it was Berry Oakley who most filled in the sizable gap, playing with a newfound ferocity and focus. This slice of the Allman Brothers at the Hollywood Bowl in August of 1972, clearly displays the band continuing to forge their musical vision following on from Duanes death. Capturing their set, as well as the first of two encores with Texas guitar slinger Johnny Winter as a guest, the group’s music still has plenty of fire, inspired jamming and that intangible spiritual quality that was at the heart of their finest work.

Azar Swan – Dance Before The War LP (Artoffact)
Originally released as a digital-only album via Handmade Birds, the debut album from Azar Swan now gets the vinyl treatment. “Is it possible to hear the words “goth” and “dance” without thinking of the the dancing goth kids from South Park? The answer is no, it is not possible. Well, here is Azar Swan to remind you once more with their brand of gothy synth-driven electro. There’s also a heavy, industrial feel to it at times and it even has hints of Afghan influence (member Zohra Atash is an Afghan-American immigrant).” – Noisey/Vice

BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Sour Soul (Instrumentals) LP (Lex)
Stand-alone vinyl-only instrumental version of Sour Soul, an album inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s music and the recording techniques and production of that era, eschewing sampling in favor of live instrumentation.

Bad Penny – House Of Glass LP (If Society)
Floaty Finnish dream punk.

Bernard & Edith – Jem LP (Bella Union)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Debut album from hotly tipped Manchester-based electronic-pop duo.

Blood Warrior – Letter Ghost LP (Immune)
Blood Warrior makes music that exposes the intricacies of melancholy, unraveling its individual strands of sadness, redemption, and contemplation. The New England based duo turns heartbreak into something much more elusive and dream-like, enriching it with elements of otherworldly fantasy while retaining its raw emotional impact. Their idiosyncratic folk songs reflect this rawness, and they use guitars (at times purposefully detuned), harmonium, keyboards and sparse percussion to create music that is deceptively minimal.

Jeff Buckley – Dreams Of The Way We Were 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
This superb performance, from October 1992, broadcast live by radio station WFMU from Upsala College, New Jersey, pre-dates Jeff Buckley’s debut by a little over a year. While most of the songs are covers, there are two early original compositions, “Eternal Life” and “Unforgiven” — both of which later appeared on the album Grace in 1994 (the latter by then renamed “Last Goodbye”).

Churchburn – The Awaiting Coffins LP (Armageddon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Churchburn present their first full-length recording, five songs plus one unlisted bonus track recorded between 2011-2014. A combination of atmospheric unrelenting heaviness with melody and songwriting skill. The tracks have the pace and aura of properly done doom, with black and death metal influences woven throughout. Layered vocals, guitar harmonies, memorable riffs, heavy percussion. A cohesive and bludgeoning piece of modern metal.

Larry Coryell – Heavy Feel LP (Wide Hive)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Heavy Feel, which, like many great jazz records, was recorded in one day and the tracks are imbued with the improvisational genius for which Mr. Coryell is known.

D’Angelo – Brown Sugar [Reissue/1995] LP (Virgin)Brown Sugar is the debut album from D’Angelo, originally released in 1995. The album features a fusion of contemporary R&B and traditional soul music, along with elements of funk, quiet storm, and hip-hop music. Deluxe white vinyl reissue.

Arnold Dreyblatt/The Orchestra Of Excited Strings – Nodal Excitation [Reissue/1982] LP (Drag City)
By the late ‘80s, the NYC minimal/noise underground landscape created by Branca, Conrad, Riley, Young, Cale, Ranaldo, Moore, Chatham, Fripp and others had been nearly forgotten, especially that of Arnold Dreyblatt and his lone LP release Nodal Excitation. He got interested in long string sounds, and bought a bass that he wired with piano wire. By hitting the strings instead of bowing them, Dreyblatt was able to get those ringing overtones, but he also had added something new: pure rhythm. Dreyblatt couldn’t get the rock singles he’d grown up with out of him, and couldn’t become the full on new music man that seemed to be a requirement in the ‘70s, and it wasn’t until the ‘80s that the fence could be straddled, if not knocked over, with his freshman LP.

Bob Dylan – Shelter From A Hard Rain LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
This recording captures Bob Dylan live at the Fort Collins Stadium in Colorado on May 23, 1976, on the penultimate date of the second leg of the Rolling Thunder Review. Playing alongside Dylan were Mick Ronson, T Bone Burnett, Steven Soles and David Mansfield all on various guitars — although T Bone also handled keyboard duties — with Rob Stoner on bass, Howard Wyeth on drums and Scarlet Rivera on violin. Joan Baez was on-board too of course and the four cuts (“Blowin’ In The Wind,” “Railroad Boy,” the unrecorded Woody Guthrie number, “Deportee,” and “I Pity The Poor Immigrant”) on which she duets with Bob are amongst the show’s highlights.

Einheit, Esch & Mur – Terre Haute LP (Rustblade)
The album Terre Haute is the first body of work from the industrial legends FM Einheit (Einsturzende Neubauten) En Esch (formerly of KMFDM) and post-punk Diva Mona Mur. Einheit, Esch & Mur call their music a “German angst ridden art core experience.” The main sounds that I see coming out of this album are postindustrial to minimal electronics, with some classy guitar. The voices of Mona Mur and En Esch meet the tribal percussion of FM in a visceral trip of electro loops noisy guitars and electronic drones.

Einherjer – Av Oss For Oss LP (Indie Recordings)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Sixth full-length album by the Norwegian Viking metal band.

El Perro Del Mar – El Perro Del Mar [Reissue/2006] 2xLP+MP3 (The Control Group)
Celebrating ten years since its original Swedish release, El Perro Del Mar (aka Sarah Assbring) is proud to reissue a deluxe edition of her self-titled debut album with an additional ten tracks of demo, live and unheard music. The album received rave reviews from NPR, Pitchfork, The New York Times and many others. “A minimal Phil Spector sound. Unique and magical” — The London Times. “Heartbreak and loneliness have never been so beautiful” — Word Mag. “Mixing tears with sugary sound effects, she wallows with Scandinavian style.” — The New York Times

Froth – Bleak LP+MP3 (Burger)
The nine track album stays true to their west coast sound; melodic and breezy with deep riffs that are perfect for cruising an open highway. One of standout tracks on Bleak is the third song, titled ‘Nothing Baby.’ It’s a slow burning lament that alludes to a possibly soon to be lost lover. The somber tone evokes echoes of The Jesus & Mary Chain, with a melodic guitar solo situated toward the end — a perfect transition into quicker tempo of the fourth track” – The Girls At The Rock Show. CD version due June 2.

Runhild Gammelsaeter/Lasse Marhaug – Quantum Entanglement LP (Ultech)
Runhild Gammelsaeter is a fascinating figure in underground music. Recordings are rare, performances rarer still. She emerges every few years, says what she wants to say, and disappears back to her extra-musical life. She made her debut as a teenager, fronting doom band Thorr’s Hammer (formed by Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson) on 1996’s Dommedagsnatt EP, then went un-heard-from for nearly a decade before appearing on 2003’s White1, by O’Malley and Anderson’s new project, Sunn O))). Here she teams up with noise musician Lasse Marhaug.

Gang Starr – Moment Of Truth [Reissue/1998] 3xLP (Virgin)
Released four years after its previous album, Hard To Earn, Moment Of Truth could be perceived as a comeback, with a newer, updated style of the group’s already-established jazz-tinged hip-hop. The album is the group’s most commercially successful album to date.

Generation Of Vipers – Coffin Wisdom LP (Gilead Media)
A bit of metal and a dash of hardcore blended with hefty dollop of noise-rock.

The Germs – Forming [Reissue/1977] 7” (Superior Viaduct)
The Germs’ debut 45 is often cited as the first true Los Angeles punk record. “Forming,” the first song written by Darby Crash and crudely recorded in guitarist Pat Smear’s parents’ garage, captures the band’s cultish allure and crushing lack of musicianship. The B-side track, “Sex Boy,” was recorded live on the set of Cheech & Chong’s Up In Smoke. Limited edition green vinyl.

Grateful Dead – Truckin’ Up To Buffalo: July 4, 1989 5xLP (ORG Music)
A classic July 4th Grateful Dead concert is brought to life on audiophile-grade, heavyweight vinyl for this deluxe 5xLP set. Drawn from arguably the band’s strongest tour of their last 15 years on the road, Truckin’ Up To Buffalo features the entire concert at Rich Stadium on July 4, 1989. Lacquers were cut by Grammy Award winner, Bernie Grundman. The five LPs come housed in a lavish hardbound vinyl folio-book. Each copy of this limited edition set is individually numbered with a gold-foil stamp.

Great Lake Swimmers – A Forest Of Arms LP (Nettwerk)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A Forest Of Arms is the sixth album from Tony Dekker’s Great Lake Swimmers and the follow-up to their 2012 Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize nominated New Wild Everywhere. The album is a return to Dekker’s naturalistic folk sound, as well as the process of recording in unique and unusual locations, which provided elements for some of their most dynamic songs ever recorded. Those familiar with past Great Lake Swimmers albums will recognize the thematic threads of beauty in the natural world, environmental issues and explorations of close personal ties that hold us together.

Gutter Instinct – Insurrection LP (Prosthetic)
Gutter Instinct is a death metal band from Helsingborg, Sweden.

Havah/His Electro Blue Death – His Electro Blue Death/Havah LP (Maple Death)
Thirty loud and gnarly minutes of blissful tension. Five cold-as-ice tracks on one side by Michele Camorani of La Quiete and Raein, who showcases some deep, deep love for Romagna-made ‘70s Lombardi amplifiers. On the flip, the Italian trio’s sidelong “Tartlas” combines mind-warping loops, death cries and venomous hatred.

Headland – Cosy EP 12” (Headland)
Five easy pieces that reflect on Australian surf-culture of the ‘70s and hint at an upcoming full-length release.

Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon LP (Masterworks)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Second full length album by the Melbourne based Grammy Award nominated band. Stereogum singled them out as a ‘Band To Watch’ and Giles Peterson (BBC Worldwide) named them ‘Breakthrough Artist Of 2013.’ Legendary producer/songwriter Salaam Remi handpicked Hiatus Kaiyote as the first signing for his Flying Buddha label. Questlove, Erykah Badu, Pharrell and Prince have gone out of their way to plug the band.

Howling Hex – Butterfly b/w Party Shoes 7” (Drag City)
On both sides of the 7″, “Butterfly” and “Party Shoes” are compact pop songs with lyric hooks, vocal harmonies, guitar leads, crazy rhythms and themes of love and peace, mixed together into a beguilingly physical sound. The Howling Hex perform a rhythmically deliberate and passionate musical interpretation of the classic Norteno musical styles employing electronic rock instrumentation and bar band warmth. The vibrant cadences of the ranchera, waltz and huapango are voiced by The Howling Hex to create a totally new sound suitable for dancing by the mind and the body.

Hurula – Betongbarn 12” (Deranged)
Three new songs and a cover cut through the ever-present tension of daily life to make us scream and fight. All the songs burst with conviction, feeling like revenge on a junior high bully. Hurula knows how to craft a hook, like Hüsker Dü or fellow Swedes Jonas Game or Terrible Feelings. “Ge Oss Nått Som är Sant” cuts John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” in half and morphs it into a rager with classic 1960s girl group-style harmonies.

International Novelty Gamelan – Metalphonia 10” (Modern Radio)
If you’re not familiar with ING, they’re a group of musicians that perform westernized compositions, using the traditional Indonesian instruments of the Javanese gamelan orchestra.

Isasa – Las Cosas LP+MP3 (La Castanya)
Solo acoustic guitar excursions from former member of cult band A Room With A View. Far from the displays of technique that would have affected his own artistic growth, Isasa chooses to develop an organic, serene and meditative style that is a relaxed and unhurried experience for the listener and that uses the guitar as its sole expressive vehicle. Las Cosas projects a spiritual and twilight beauty in the vein of Sir Richard Bishop, John Fahey or Jack Rose.

Jobriath – Jobriath A.D. LP+DVD (Factory 25)
It’s a painful truism that, in arts and culture, the truly radical and visionary – those who kick down doors and widen possibility – are often lost to history, their contributions picked up and carried forth (and often watered down) by people far less gifted. That’s certainly the case with the late singer-songwriter Jobriath, the groundbreaking, openly gay, would-be rock & roll star who died of AIDS in 1983 at the age of 37, largely forgotten. Pitched somewhere between David Bowie and cult icon Klaus Nomi, while being wholly original, Jobriath was a brilliant musician and lyricist who was never coy or secretive about his sexuality – not in his professional or personal life – and his frankness may have cost him the career his talent seemingly all but ensured. Jobriath A.D. collects music from his lost musical Popstar plus a full JOBRIATH documentary on DVD.

Alice Kemp – Impregnator Of The Death Mouth 7” (Harbinger Sound)
The first solo vinyl release by this South England multimedia artist who has been active in the field of radical sound and performance art for 20-plus years.

The Kids – The Kids [Reissue/1978] LP+MP3 (Radiation Reissues)
Hailing from Antwerp, Belgium, The Kids formed in 1976 to prove to the world that punk was more than just a London vs New York fashion contest. Originally released on the Philips label in 1978, and highly acclaimed as an excellent punk album, the Kids’ debut is reissued on vinyl, with two bonus tracks recorded in 1977.

Lejonsläktet – Väderkvarn b/w Trygghetens Rus 7” (Trouble In Mind)
“Vädkervarn” slithers off the A-side, with a woozy organ line, it’s loping groove balanced by the duo’s vocal harmonies culled from decades of Sweden’s long psychedelic history from Träd Gräs Och Stenar to Düngen. “Tryggheten Rus” rockets off the flip side; a jaunty instrumental replete with bubbling vibes & synth, and scorching pick slides that shimmy’s it’s way next to Stereolab and Perrey-Kingsley in your record collection.

Lieutenant – If I Kill This Thing We’re All Going To Eat For A Week LP (Dine Alone)
Debut solo release from Nate Mendel, bassist for Foo Fighters and member of both The Fire Theft and Sunny Day Real Estate. The album was produced by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Big Business) and features a guest appearance from Page Hamilton (Helmet). Vinyl version due May 19.

The Lookouts – Spy Rock Road (And Other Stories) LP (Don Giovanni)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Thirty years ago, long before there was such a thing as Gilman Street, Green Day, or the East Bay pop punk explosion, three guys got together in an off-the-grid hippie wilderness known as Spy Rock, at the heart of Northern California’s legendary Emerald Triangle. They hooked their amps up to their solar panels, made up a couple songs about living on the backside of nowhere, and The Lookouts were born. Features a young Tre Cool (Green Day), Larry Livermore (co-founder of Lookout! Records) and guest appearances by Operation Ivy/Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.

Love As Laughter – Lazy Soldier b/w Oasis 7” (Tracks Of Quality)
Sam Jayne (Lync, Beck) and his Love As Laughter have been around since ‘94 — during which time, he and James Bertram (Red Stars Theory, Lynch) made One Foot In The Grave with Beck, eventually landing on Sub Pop, touring with the likes of Modest Mouse, Dinosaur Jr, The Shins, Built To Spill, Les Savy Fav and others. Their new single sounds like the first time you smoked pot and listened to Neil Young and Black Flag simultaneously and it made sense.

Mandates – In The Back Of Your Heart LP (Hosehead)
Hook-driven and aggressive power punk featuring members of Chixdiggit and Knucklehead. “Stays strictly within the realm of ’77 punk and timeless rock ‘n’ roll, pairing rippin’ guitar riffs with heartfelt singalongs.” — Exclaim!

Annique Monet – Phantom Letters LP (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)
Former Worthless guitarists’ debut. Phantom Letters is a look inside Annique Monet’s twisted and beautiful world, where you might just see brightly colored banyan trees dripping with honey or hear the inside of a purple nightmare where hexagonal clocks reveal the rise and fall of kings. Annique is lifting the veil for you to share in her aural hallucinations as she plays all instruments on the recording. Bask in the magnificence.

Giorgio Moroder – Midnight Express [Reissue/1978] LP (The Control Group)
Available on vinyl for first time since its original 1978 release, Midnight Express is the incredible Giorgio Moroder soundtrack that won both the Oscar and Golden Globe award for Best Soundtrack when it was released.

The Mowgli’s – Kids In Love LP (Republic)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Mowgli’s sophomore album features the single “I’m Good” with its sunny, infectious melody and anthemic chorus. On Kids In Love, the group teamed up with producer Tony Hoffer (The Kooks, Silversun Pickups, Fitz & The Tantrums) as well as their prior collaborators known as Captain Cuts (Smallpools, Tove Lo) and Matt Radosevich (Walk The Moon, One Direction).

Nervous Talk – Nervous Talk LP (Hosehead)
Nervous Talk’s debut LP combines ’78-‘80 Canadian influences like Subhumans and Teenage Heads with more modern sounds. Ten songs combine snotty punk with early power pop so flawlessly that you won’t be able to tell if you’re listening to The Buzzcocks or Lover!.

Stevie Nicks – Crystal Visions: The Very Best Of Stevie Nicks [Reissue/2007] 2xLP (Reprise)
Features songs from her solo career (including her duet with Tom Petty, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” as well as her career with Fleetwood Mac. Clear vinyl.

Nirvana – Feels Like The First Time 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Previously unreleased broadcast of the seminal free concert at Seattle’s Pier 48 in September 1993. Also included is a second Nirvana broadcast of the band’s show at The Palace, in Melbourne, Australia on February 2, 1992, with Nirvana showcasing much of what was then their new album, Nevermind. Finally an additional four tracks from the two appearances Nirvana made on Saturday Night Live are included.

Jim O’Rourke/PBK – Unidentified Again 2xLP (Pica Disk)
Synth-based mail collaboration by two long-time worshippers of all things Roland Kayn and David Tudor. Each provides lush audio environments for the other’s sounds to live in—living synthetic landscapes with birds, animals of primitive or alien origin, and huge electric storm drones.

Old Man Gloom – Meditations In B [Reissue/2000] 2xLP (Hydra Head)Meditations In B. A simpler time. Like Pepperidge Farms, and Little House On The Prairie. Two beautiful young men (Aaron Turner and Santos Montano) set off on their own, in the peak of their sexual virility, to forge a new path in brutally sludgy, crushing, apocalyptic, post-metal, post-hardcore, pre-Y2K, post-math, pre-Friendster, post-rock riffs.

Penetrators – She’s The Kinda Girl 7” (Slovenly)
First new material since their 2008 LP, and the two tracks here are just as demented as their legendary ‘70s/’80s sessions.

Tom Petty – In The Coliseum 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
Recorded live in Jacksonville during the summer of 1987.

The Pixies – Hollywood Holiday LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
This remarkable release captures The Pixies at their finest, immediately before Christmas 1991, playing a show – broadcast by public radio network KCRW FM — at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Purple 7 – Gulf Of The Afterglow LP (Dead Broke)
New release from this band featuring former members of Defiance Ohio, Landlord and Hot New Mexicans. Gulf Of The Afterglow contains eleven songs of lo-fi indie-pop rock basement-style recordings.

Ramones – Loco Live 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
The original tracks were recorded digitally in Barcelona, Spain and overdubbed at Electric Lady Studios in NYC. This was C.J’s first recording with the Ramones.

Rank Strangers – Ringtones LP (Veto)
New LP from long-running Minneapolis band. Describe the colossal episode that is Ringtones: (1) Write, record, and perform post-illiterate, crypto-phonic songs that un-connect the dots and utilize the element of surprise. (2) Light a bonfire in the Mariana Trench, blazing black bright as night. (3) Follow the crumbs, solve the mystery, win the prize, capture the flag, then burn it.

Raydios – Brand New Kid 7” (Slovenly)
You’re gonna need the number of a good oral surgeon once this one is over, guaranteed.

Red Death – Red Death 7” (Grave Mistake)
Originally released as a tape in 2014, the first recorded output from this Washington DC band channels the sheer brutality and precision of crossover classics like Animosity, Cause For Alarm, and Best Wishes, without straying too far from the rawness and reckless abandon of hardcore punk.

Reverend Bizarre – III: So Long Suckers 4xLP (Svart)
Reverend Bizarre’s final opus is a 130-minute juggernaut, thought by many as impossible to fit on vinyl. Well, you thought wrong. Mastered under the supervision of Albert Witchfinder by Joona Lukala, this four-LP package presents the work cut on eight sides of 12-inch vinyl. The set comes with an expanded 20-page booklet and a poster, all packaged in a heavy-duty gold foil stamped box.

A Room With A View – Addiction Of Duplicates [Reissue/1999] 2xLP+MP3 (La Castanya)A Room With A View – Jupiter & Beyond [Reissue/2002] 2xLP+MP3 (La Castanya)
A Room With A View was a band formed by four kids from Madrid that was active from 1997 to 2003. What they are remembered for, their totally unusual live shows and the songs they left written and recorded, frequently clashes with the hopes that were bestowed upon their future: they broke up when they could have become one of the most important bands not only in the Spanish scene, but in the international independent arena.

Donald Rubenstein – George A Romero’s Martin [OST] [Reissue/1979] LP (Ship To Shore)
Featuring brand new original artwork from Brandon Schaefer this limited marble blood red vinyl LP repress of the soundtrack to George A. Romero’s Martin is not only a must-have for fans of Romero, but also connoisseurs of film scores in general. ‘”Donald Rubinstein contributes a haunting, melancholy score punctuated with sudden, passionate riffs. It is the perfect accompaniment to this tale of lost souls in a barren, nearly post-apocalyptic environment.” — Roy Frumkes, producer of Street Trash and director of Document Of The Dead.

Todd Rundgren – Global LP (Esoteric Antenna)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Todd’s latest musical vision is a contemporary fusion of styles — rock, soul and electronica — that continues the tradition of boundary-breaking works from this visionary genius.

Rush – Hemisphere [Reissue/1978] LP (Mercury)
Originally released in 1978, Hemispheres has now been remastered on HQ200gm, heavyweight vinyl at legendary Abbey Road Studios using the Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) audiophile copper plating process, all from original analogue masters.

Sleaford Mods – Mr. Jolly F**ker b/w Tweet Tweet Tweet 7” (Fourth Dimension)
Sleaford Mods started around 2006 in Nottingham by Jason Williamson. Born out of frustration and by accident, it quickly found its feet as an aggressive attack on all that is contrived and connected to the day-to-day hammer of low paid employment. “Mr. Jolly F**ker” and “Tweet Tweet Tweet” sees the duo continuing their sometimes raucous yet always edgy melding of mean hip-hop beats, often savage poetic observations (think whizzed-out Mark E. Smith) and snarling punk attitude. A full-on kick to the senses inspired by the Sex Pistols, The Last Poets, and ’60s garage and soul music.

Patti Smith – Dreaming Of The Prophet LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
One of a string of seven sell-out performances Smith gave at the legendary Greenwich Village club Bottom Line in December 1975, these performances were intended as warm-ups for her first major tour of the USA, planned to begin in early 1976 in support of Horses.

Soundgarden – Echo Of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path 6xLP (Geffen)
26 years of rarities that have appeared as B-sides, album bonus tracks, EPs, soundtracks, compilations and live recordings. Picture disc edition.

Soundtrack – The Darjeeling Limited [2007] 2xLP (Abkco)
The 2007 Wes Anderson film The Darjeeling Limited starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman is notable for its eclectic soundtrack. Set in India, the film incorporates music from the films of acclaimed director Satyajit Ray, scoring from early Indian Merchant-Ivory films, and hits by The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Peter Sarstedt, and Joe Dassin. HQ-180gm black vinyl.

Soundtrack – Hedwig And The Angry Inch [2014] LP+MP3 (Atlantic)Hedwig And The Angry Inch Original Broadway Cast Recording, the musical companion to the eight-time TONY-nominated show starring Neil Patrick Harris. The release comes fifteen years after Atlantic released the cast recording for the original production in 1999 and thirteen years following Atlantic’s release of the original motion picture soundtrack for the film incarnation. The album is produced by Hedwig composer Stephen Trask, Tony Award nominated sound designer and platinum-selling record producer Tim O Heir, and the production’s music director Justin Craig.

Soundtrack – While We’re Young LP (Milan)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Tracks by Lionel Richie, A Tribe Called Quest, Haim, David Bowie are interspersed with James Murphy’s (LCD Soundsystem) original score.

The Splits – II LP (Dirtnap)
The Splits and their new LP defy easy classification. They are the kind of band that can be well received at hardcore fests, and then turn around and go on tour with garage/punk bands. There are definite dark undertones and a slight post-punk influence to their music and lyrics, but this is still far more aggressive and stripped down than the sounds of the currently fashionable goth-revival thing. The band lists some of their favorites as Poison Idea, Testors, Dead Moon, Pagans, Wipers, Marked Men, and Varuas, all of which make sense after listening to II.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Live At The Main Point 1975: Volume 1 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Live At The Main Point 1975: Volume 2 LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
The words “legendary,” “seminal” and “classic” are very often over-used in the heated hyperbole that surround rock concerts in general and Bruce Springsteen gigs in particular. They lead to overblown phrases such as essential for every fan and one of his greatest ever shows. This recording of a concert Bruce and the E-Street Band played in Philadelphia in February 1975 really is that of a legendary Springsteen show, a seminal moment in his career, a classic performance and an essential part of any fan’s library of The Boss’ work.

Sumac – The Deal 2xLP (Sige)
Sumac is a new band comprised of Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom), Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), and Brian Cook (Russian Circles). The Deal is Sumac’s debut album, released on CD earlier this year by Profound Lore. Sige now presents a deluxe double-LP version in a custom letterpress printed LP jacket and O-card, with design by Aaron Turner and artwork by Faith Coloccia.

Sweet Madness – Made In Spokane: 1978-1981 Volume 2 LP (Sweet Madness)
Featuring fifteen previously unreleased songs many of which clock in at about two minutes each. Previous press for Made In Spokane: 1978 – 1981: “Catalyst stars. Supplies a tasty straddle from where quick punk and new wave coalesce. From this band a vigorous, spiky DIY outbreak would spring” — The Big Takeover. “Sharp, hyper-driven new wave pop that sounds distinctively ahead of its time, yet impossibly fresh and exhilarating today.” — The Sun Break

Swiftumz – Everybody Loves Chris LP+MP3 (Melters)
The eleven tracks on Everybody Loves Chris are as gorgeous, eclectic, catchy, and stoned as they come. Recorded in various studios, beds, and hotel rooms around the Bay Area, this LP magnifies Chris McVicker’s beautifully fucked pop vision into clear focus, letting the rest of us unworthy souls bask in the glow of truly weird indie-pop euphoria.

Terrible Feelings – Tremors LP (Deranged)
For the last six years, Malmö, Sweden’s Terrible Feelings have been blazing a trail of power pop meets Killed By Death punk.

Torres – Sprinter LP+MP3 (Partisan)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Following her self-titled debut in 2013, Torres pushes herself to even noisier extremes on Sprinter, a punishing self-examination of epic spiritual and musical proportions. Scott escaped the confines of her churning mind in order to find herself by recording in the market town of Bridport in Dorset, England; and then at the Bristol studio of Portishead’s Adrian Adrian Utley. With his guitar riffs and synthesizers lingering in the background like a lowland mist and PJ Harvey’s Robert Ellis and Ian Olliver on rhythm—the two fortuitously reuniting 23 years after the release of Dry.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control [Reissue/2013] 2xLP (Rise Above)
Sixteenth pressing/red vinyl. Within Mind Control‘s blood soaked grooves you will hear shocking tales of bizarre desert ceremonies, religious brainwashing and drug inspired mass slaughter! Imagine the original Alice Cooper band jamming in a cell with early Black Sabbath and the Stooges, whilst sitting on murder charges and you may get a glimpse into their fuzzed up world of exploding tube amps and cymbal smashing mayhem.

John Vanderslice – Mass Suicide Occult Figurines [2000] LP+MP3 (Native Sound)
Reissue of Vanderslice’s first album, originally issued by Barsuk on CD, but never released on vinyl. Grounded in the guitars and traditional rock structure of his previous band, MK Ultra, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines serves as a preface to the quirkier and more experimental of his future releases, known for the oftentimes-political lyrical undertones, inventive and experimental takes on pop.

Various Artists – Taboo: Volume 1 – An Exploration Into The Exotic World Of Taboo 10” (Stag-O-Lee)
Stag-O-Lee inaugurates its Journey To The Centre Of The Song series, dedicated to celebrating one song at a time in its many guises and interpretations, with Taboo. The classic “Tabu” was written by Margarita Lecuona (also responsible for “Babalu,” a classic as well), a cousin of the famous Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona. “Tabú” (also recorded as “Tabou,” “Tabu,” and “Taboo”) is a jazz and popular music standard that was first recorded by Cuarteto Machín in 1934 and later made popular by the Lecuona Cuban Boys (included here) and others.

Vatican Shadow/Cut Hands – Vatican Shadow/Cut Hands LP (Handmade Birds)
The pair on the same 12″ is a landmark for noise aficionados. The original files used by Vatican Shasow (Side A: “We Hunger”) and Cut Hands (Side B: “For Last & Forever”) are selected from Azar Swan’s And Blow Us A Kiss (2014, Zoo Music) and reworked into beat-driven melodic noise compositions. HQ-180gm color vinyl.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – The King’s Head LP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
This radio broadcast comes from The King’s Head Inn, a tiny venue popular with students near the Old Dominion University campus, in Norfolk, Virginia, that could accommodate barely 100 people. Luckily, local radio station WNOR was on hand to preserve this storming performance made on July 20th, 1980 by the soon-to-become-legendary blues guitarist.

Tom Waits – My Father’s Place 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)
This superb live recording is from late 1977 at legendary NYC venue My Father’s Place.

The Waterboys – This Is The Sea [Reissue/1985] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Limited HQ-180gm vinyl LP repressing of The Waterboys third studio album, originally released in 1985. This Is The Sea was the last of their “Big Music” albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as “epic” and “a defining moment,” it was the first Waterboys album to enter the United Kingdom charts, peaking at #37.

White Hills – Walks For Motorists LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. White Hills are one of the most legendary acts in psychedelic rock today. Walks For Motorists is the band’s definitive statement, showcasing a new intensity for the band, emphasizing rhythm and groove. Possibly surprising to fans familiar with the Hawkwindian guitar squall of earlier albums, the songs on Walks For Motorists began as a keyboard melody or bass line, and several songs on the album don’t even feature guitar at all. This is propulsive, open music, surreal to its core but made to inspire people to get out of their seats and move.

Wire – Wire LP (Pink Flag)
Wire’s new album (the band’s thirteenth LP overall) is an eponymous affair that makes it nearly impossible to Google search for a description. However, according to a press release, the majority of the 11-track album was written with “an album in mind, but toured extensively first, as well as songs that (singer-guitarist Colin) Newman introduced to the group in the studio just prior to recording.” The release goes on to add that Wire the album is “full of swooning pop melodies with a ’60s tinge and an irresistible, near motorik rhythmic momentum. One can recognize certain melodic inflections, guitar and bass motifs, and drum rhythms from Wire’s idiosyncratic vocabulary but it has a remarkable freshness.”

Yardbirds – Little Games [Reissue/1967] LP (Rhino/Parlophone)
Limited HQ-180gm vinyl LP pressing sourced from the original mono masters. The only Yardbirds LP recorded entirely with Jimmy Page as a member, this 1967 album (which featured musical assistance from Page’s future Led Zeppelin co-hort John Paul Jones) is a Yardbirds classic and Zeppelin blueprint.

Dwight Yoakam – Second Hand Heart LP+MP3 (WB)Second Hand Heart was self-produced by Yoakam, and reflects where he’s been, but even more so, where he’s going. The album takes the pioneering honky-tonker back to Warner Bros./Reprise, where he began his major-label recording career 30 years ago. Yoakam’s distinctive, supple vocals, accented with his Kentucky croon, sound as strong today as they did on his debut, 1985’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.

ZZ Top – Lucky 13: USA 1980 LP (Rock Classics)
Recorded live during the East coast leg of their breakthrough 1980 tour.

Cassettes:

Ilyas Ahmed – I Am All Your Own (Immune)
Ilyas Ahmedʼs songs exist in a sublime moment of suspended animation, calmly dwelling in between modes of music making, both timeless and contemporary – deeply imbued with stillness and peace. On I Am All Your Own, his first album in three years, Ahmed employs strategies gleaned from experimental and ambient musicians, such as Lawrence English and Fripp & Eno, and applies them to song-based guitar music. Building slowly and purposefully, each individual track adds to the album’s overall, scrupulously forged contour. His most direct work, Ahmed’s voice is brought to the fore and un-obscured.

Dirty Fences – Tramp Cassette (Slovenly)
Satisfying a youthful obsession with early Kiss and Mötley Crüe, then discovering the fortunate truth of the Dictators & Ramones, Tramp is the festering manifestation of your love encrusted bed sheets headed to the wash.

Mowlawner – Chorus Of Plague And Perversity (Handmade Birds)
Mowlawner is the dark ambient/drone project of Eric Eijspaart, who is one half of Aaderlating. Since 2007, Mowlawner has been shapeshifting in spheres of dark ambient, harsh noise, drone, and cinematic soundscapes.

Stromboli – Stromboli (Maple Death)
Stromboli’s dense, ambient, propulsive opera, created over the course of two years in Bologna, hints at the harsh noise isolationist toiling over four-track tape machine, lap steel guitar and ancient analog organ. It describes boundaries and territories through drones, city-dwelling rhythms, noise landscapes and elegant melodies, defying what is traditionally associated with the ambient genre by creating a beautiful dark psychedelic rotating world.